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				<div class="regiondetail">Subject matter related to shear wall construction</div>
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					When should you hire an engineer to observe the construction of your project?
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					First, the legal background: The Building Inspector "inspects" construction. Engineers "observe"
					construction. What's the difference? Only the attorneys and the insurance companies know for sure,
					but "inspection" implies more detailed scrutiny than "observation".<br />
					<br />
					The building code allows typical wood framed buildings to be constructed according to certain
					standards that have proven adequate over the years. Most carpenters have memorized these standards
					and apply them to the houses they build, which results in houses that meet the building code
					requirements for "conventional light-frame construction."<br />
					<br />
					Complex modern custom home designs can prove extremely complicated from an engineering standpoint.
					Building codes require a "complete load path" that will transfer wind and earthquake forces to the
					building's foundation. This load path is almost never a direct route. Most custom homes feature
					stairwells, offset first and second floor walls, large expanses of windows, changes in floor levels
					and other architectural features that make their design so appealing from a visual perspective.
					These features can break the load path, and the engineer must address each break so the structure
					will carry loads around it to the foundation.<br />
					<br />
					If your project required engineering, it is beyond the ordinary. Engineered designs include special
					requirements that will assure a complete load path. These may be as simple as adding a few more
					nails than the building code's "conventional framing" requirements call for, or as specialized as
					welding steel beams and columns into a rigid frame to carry forces around a wall full of windows.
					Structural features such as increased wall connections to the foundation, additional rows of blocking,
					long steel straps to "collect" forces and carry them to shear walls, shear wall tie-downs and the
					like may show up in a custom home design.
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					But I paid building permit fees so the Building Inspector will make inspections-- why do I need the
					engineer to come out, too?
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					Even though municipal building inspectors are experts in a wide variety of construction fields,
					they typically cannot provide a thorough structural inspection of a house. This is because they
					have limited time alotted to each inspection. Forty-five minutes would be a generous time alotment
					for an "F-E-P" inspection (which means Framing, Electrical and Plumbing). The inspector might allow
					up to 30 minutes to inspect a house's structural frame. For residential construction the inspector
					will usually look for commonly found problems and construction that does not comply with the latest
					changes in the code. The inspector may not have time to become familiar with special structural
					requirements shown on the plans.<br />
					<br />
					The structural designer can provide the most thorough and focused attention to a building's
					structural system. No one besides the person who designed a home is more familiar with all the
					structural requirements of its design. If the construction does not meet the plan requirements, then
					the person who can authorize changes to the plans is right there to provide alternative construction
					methods. Work does not have to stop while the municipal inspector waits for an approved change from
					the designer.
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					What stages of construction should the engineer come out to see?
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					The following list covers almost all phases of construction where structural observation could be
					beneficial. (Hardly any project involves all items on the list.)
					
					<ul class="numberlist">
						<li>
							Footing excavations completed, formed ready for placing of reinforcing. (To check for
							required footing dimensions and locations, etc.)
						</li>
						<li>
							Footing reinforcing bars in place. (To check for proper size and location of reinforcement,
							holdown anchors, sill anchor bolts, etc.)
						</li>
						<li>
							Slab on grade reinforcing bars in place. (To check for proper size and location of
							reinforcement, tie-down anchors, sill anchor bolts, etc.)
						</li>
						<li>
							Concrete placing operations. (To confirm proper concrete placing techniques, etc.)
						</li>
					</ul>
						
					Note: Items 2, 3, and 4 above can usually be combined into one observation visit.
					
					<ul class="numberlist">
						<li>
							Wood framing completed but not closed in. (To check for specified shear wall sill and stud
							sizes and end post size and anchorage, post and beam sizes and locations, special framing
							connections and steel straps, etc.)
						</li>
						<li>
							Floor sheathing nailing completed but not covered. (To verify typical sheathing nailing and
							special nailing requirements at shear walls or drag-ties below, etc., which will be covered
							by subsequent wall construction, concrete floor topping, etc.)
						</li>
						<li>
							Wall and roof sheathing nailing completed but not covered. (To verify special nailing
							requirements at shear walls or drag-ties below, steel straps, etc., before they are covered
							by roofing.)
						</li>
						<li>
							Welding operations. (To confirm that a Special Inspector will inspect the welding, or that
							shop welding is done in an Approved Fabricator's shop.)
						</li>
						<li>
							High-strength bolting operations. (To verify proper tightening of bolts.)
						</li>
						<li>
							All structural work completed. (To check any other special building conditions.)
						</li>
					</ul>
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					Which construction operations require Continuous Special Inspection?
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					Special Inspection is more formal than structural observation. Special inspections may be performed by
					the engineer or a qualified inspector selected by the engineer.
					
					<ul class="numberlist">
						<li>
							Grouting of concrete block walls when grout lifts are more than two feet high. (To confirm that
							block cavities are free of debris before grouting, and that grout is properly vibrated and
							revibrated, etc. For more information on grouting, see this grouting
							<a href="http://www.shearwalls.com/features/features.php">animation</a>.) Note: If walls are designed
							using only one-half of the strength that is otherwise allowed by the Building Code, then no
							observation is required.
						</li>
						<li>
							Concrete placing operations for structural slabs and concrete walls. (To assure that reinforcement
							conforms to the Plans, and that concrete of the specified mix and consistency is properly placed
							and consolidated, etc.)
						</li>
					</ul>
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